Base to Base biotech podcast 49: Gene therapy for kidney disease, and using AI to transform diagnostics

This week, we’re chatting with Haseeb Ahmad, CEO of Purespring Therapeutics, about gene therapies in kidney disease, and with Pahini Pandya, Panakeia CEO, about colorectal cancer biomarkers, the potential of AI in clinical decision-making and how AI can transform workflows in diagnostics.Times:03:34 Purespring24:11 Panakeia TechnologiesPurespring TherapeuticsPurespring is a precision nephrology company pioneering first-in-class, targeted genetic therapies designed to preserve kidney function.The company is focused on transforming the treatment of kidney disease—an area of enormous unmet need, with more than 840m people worldwide living with chronic kidney disease.Purespring’s lead programme, PS-002, for IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is set to enter the clinic this quarter. It marks the first podocyte-targeted gene therapy to reach clinical development and offers a highly differentiated approach compared with other emerging treatments, including those from Vertex and Otsuka.Panakeia TechnologiesPanakeia Technologies recently published a real-world clinical validation showing that AI can determine critical colorectal cancer biomarkers in minutes, in a test across 1,243 patients and 3,576 images in NHS hospitals.While not yet used directly in patient care, the study demonstrates the potential for AI to support clinical decision-making, reduce lab bottlenecks, and help clinicians act faster — a topic highly relevant to the goals of the UK government's cancer plan and the ongoing discussion around innovation in healthcare.To get in touch with guest suggestions, or to sponsor or advertise on the podcast, please email [email protected]